Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-07-12
EARLY PHOTOGRAPHY.
INTERESTING INCIDENTS OF THE
ART IN ITS INFANT DAYS.
Prof. :. y. u. Morse the Pioneer In Da-
gu-rr-ot,p- Work-Th- First sun pie
Wa. Done,

ffo1 -. ~ tue SisbreF
xu-rr-ot,p@ work-Th- First sun Pic
tur- Ever Take" in Am-rica-How IL
Was Done.
There are some interesting memoirs con
neCted with early photography i'll this
country and CITY. Photography dawHed
IN the world at about the same time "a
telegraphy and al about the same date "a
steam railrOHdin' And Morse, the leadin
man in the telegraph, and Daguerre, the
leadin' man i'll the photograph lat first
called the daguerreotyPe), became personal
friends, and each got interested in the
Others hnes-a thing which very seldom
happens I" that class of people.
Morse, when he was III Paris tryin to
push his lightnin' messages. was intro
duced by Robert Walsh, OF Philadelphia.
the American consul at Paris. to Mons.
Daguerre. who was tryin' TO push his sun
pictures The two men took a great fancy
10 each other Just like two brothers;
showed each other their inventions
and told each other their plans. Each
promised To help the other after he had
first helped himself, and each kept his
promise.
Daguerre never got a chance to be Of
much real aid to Morse in Paris, but he
did what he could all the same-talked
enthusiastically about the telegraph and
shrugged his shoulders enthusiastically,
as only 4 FrenChman can. But Morse,
when he got back TO New York, took hold
Of his Chum Daguerre'S hobby and intro
duCed il into the metropolis. The first
telegraphrr may thus be said to have been
the first photographer.
There was at this time in New York a
fine instrument maker, almost genius in
his way, called ProSCh, who had a shop
in a basement on Nassau street, very
curious sort Of a place; den of scientitis
odds and ends, haunted by odd and scien-
titic men. Morse saw Prosch and gave
him full idea of Daguerre's inventions
and showed him plan of the apparatus :
needed 10 carry ont Daguerre's ideas. He
also gave Prosch an order TO make this
apparatus. ProsCh set To work and made
rude affair, which was the first picture
taking apparatus ever made in this coun-
try. and turned il over to Morse. And
then one mornin', a really memorable
mOrnn'. i'll its way, Morse, with the aid
OF this rude instrument, took the first sun
picture OF daguerTeotype ever taken in
America.
He took It of of the steps leadin' to
Prosch's den He placed the camera on
the steps and got a pretty good picture Of
the old brick church the Rev. DIR. Springs
church, opposite 10 the city hall-on the
spot now occupied by the Times news
paper and the Potter buildin' In the
foreground OF this picture was hack, and
its sleepy horse, with its still more sleepy
driver
This first daguerreOtype or photo
graph WAS, of course. primitive affair,
worse than tintype now, but il was, new
erthelesS, n great, wonderful thing under
the circumstances. Ii demonstrated that
pictures of the earth and things and peo-
pie on il, could be taken by the aid of the
sun. just as certainly and truthfully as
ideas could be transmitted by electricity,
and really one fact was almost as import
ant rs the other. II was a truly memor-
able mOrnin' in New York when Morse
took the first daguerreotype off of Prosch's
basement steps, although il then took him
nearly an hour. all in all, to complete the
operation.
Professor Draper was n great friend Of
Morse and he got interested in this new
thing He and Morse experimental to
gether. Draper was great on chemistry.
He soon improved on the original dagueI re-
otype, and one day he astonished Morse
by takin' his CNOrse'sl picture with his
ewes open, giving the natural expression of
the eyes.
This was big step onward; for at first
all the pictures taken Of human beings
had 10 lie taken with the eyes closed, on
account of the glare. Imagine a pretty
woman Sttin for her picture and havin'
not only To hold her tongue but close her
eyes-shnt her eyes as well As shut up
Ii would he as hard that way 10 have
your picture taken rs your tooth taken.
Draper and Morse used 10 take their
early pictures from u window of the old
university buildin', where Morse lived.
One Of their successful pictures was the
tower of the Church Of Messiah, about
the size OF II playin' card. The first pict-
ures were all Of 'em pictures Of buildin's,
streets and so on But at last Morse took
a portrait-put the human face and figure
into a sun picture. This was a step on
ward and upward; for as Morse took his
first object picture on the steps leadin' to
PrOSCh'S cellar. so he took his first face
and figure picture on top of the university
buildn', in sort Of studio he had
erected there on the roof, and which was
the first Photographic studio" ever
started in America.
The first lady whose picture was ever
taken by the sunlight in this city was the
young daughter of Professor Morse. The
next lady taken was his daughters
bosom friend, and the pictures taken of
these two are still in existence among the
chDiceSt Curiusities and treasures of Vas
sar college
The first man in New York who made
q regular business of takin' pictures or
photographs was the instrument maker
Prosch, whom have already mentioned.
PrOSch saw big thing in 1t, and opened
what he called a ''daguerring gallery" on
the corner of Liberty street and Broad
way His first sitter and customer was
Professor West, Of the old Rutgers female
institute, who was thus the very first
man who ever paid to have his photograph
taken, all the other pictures up TO this
time havin' been taken as All experiment,
free.
But the professor paid for his pictures
like man, and from that time on the
business of takin' pictures has fiourished
in New York 1t would make a pho
tographer sick nowadays to think how
Prosch had 10 get his sunlight for this
first picture He had 10 hang big mir
ror right outside his shop, on Broadway,
So as 10 reflect the sunlight full on the
professor ace-New York Mercury In
terview.
A Mistake Corrected.
First Sweet Child-Oh! Isn't it lovely!